in darkness, in silence
by evanescentdawn
Summary: It was always the three of them. Now- there's only two. AU.
1. Chapter 1

She's running. There is a layer of dirt and sweat clung to her that she can't get rid of, dried blood, crusts of dark maroon in her nails that she can't get rid of. And the bitter, bitter taste of burnt ashes and iron in her mouth. She's running- _stumbling_ \- through the forest. Her breath is uneven, grows more ragged with each step. Her muscles are burning. She's tired- exhausted but, she can't stop. Her heart is beating, drumming harshly like a constant reminder against her ribs. And she can't stop. _Faster, faster, faster_ her heart beats. And she grits her teeth, clenches her hand and pushes her self to the limit. Doesn't stop even when there's a burning itch in her throat that's driving her crazy, the buildup of iron - bitter so bitter, until the pressure is too much and she vomits blood. She runs and runs and runs _away_. Because it's all Sakura Haruno knows.

She pushes her forward and forces her muscles to move- then, suddenly she can't move.

Her legs aren't moving even as she pushes all of her willpower, all her strength into them. They won't move. Sakura curses, desperately trying to move forward. But, it's not working.

And that's all it takes- a second of silence in the forest in the light of dawn. A second of stillness and everything falls apart.

_Naruto is dead._

Suddenly, she can't breathe anymore, can't summon any more strength. Her legs crumble under the weight of everything. And—

Sakura falls.

—

Then, _he_ is here.

Sasuke steadies her, catches her before she can hit the ground. His arm wrapped around her waist as she lets out a shaky breath, slumping slack against his chest and-

Her world drowns in darkness as- a hot orange bleeds over the world- as the sun rises to its place in the sky— as a kaleidoscope of bright colours fades to bright blue—as the world spins alive and

everything falls apart.

—

Sakura is slack in his hold, light. And yet, also heavy.

There's an emptiness in his heart he can't explain, the taste of burnt grey ashes vivid in his mouth as the hot orange from the blazing sun washes over his face.

The sky is a bright clear blue he can't look away.

He looks away.

Instead, he stares at Sakura's unmoving form in his arm.

In the morning forest, the silence is echoing loud.

_His ears ring with echoing silent words of the dead._


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura opens her eyes to darkness and silence. It's heavy. She lays there on the bed- _bed?_ Memories come flashing back, and suddenly she is alert. She springs up, eyes frantic wild, her heart beating fast only to drop back down in pain. Her head hurts, she's dizzy, nausea rises in her stomach. Then, there's an arm sliding under her back picking up slowly and a bucket placed in her lap. She bends forward and hurls into it. Acid rises and burns through her mouth. Her eyes sting at the pain, at the itching pain. Sakura lets it all out, and the aftertaste is sour, disgusting. The same hand on her back leans her slowly that she is resting against the bed's frame. She turns, all she can see is darkness, but she can feel him. _Sasuke._

She turns away, even when she can't see his face in this darkness. And she is suddenly conscious of his hand resting on her back.

She doesn't speak. And Sasuke doesn't either. The silence between them is heavy, suffocating. And she is conscious- very aware of the empty space, a sudden gaping distance between them where a blond, loud man with bright blue eyes should be- and it _aches_. Sakura closes her eyes tighter. And there's an uneasy feeling that tightens and knots in her stomach.

_She hates this. Everything._

The rooms stinks with the stench of her vomit.

The silence is echoing loud.

Then, Sasuke breaks it. "Sakura," He says. "_Look at me._"

And she can't look away anymore. She forces herself to turn again and look at him. All she can see is black. Darkness.

"Sasuke-" _Not Sasuke kun_, because it feels so wrong on her tongue. When, _he_ is not here but gone forever- and oh god, Naruto is dead. She chokes, and an ugly sound escapes through her aching throat like a cry. But, no tears fall. "Oh, god sasuke," She chokes out, "Naruto is— Naruto is— Naruto is—" _Dead. And it's all my fault._

Sasuke doesn't say anything. And Sakura wants to run away again. But her muscles have no strength and she's exhausted. Her shoulder trembles. Still, Sasuke says nothing. The silence eats at her. And she shakes and quivers, clenches her hands into fists, digs her nails into her skin. She can feel blood. _Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry_ She wants to say, but the words get caught in her throat.

Still, Sasuke says nothing.

_Crack._

Sakura breaks. "Why aren't you saying anything?!" She shouts, the words physically painful to shout. Her voice is hoarse and full of glass shards. _Why aren't you blaming me?! Why don't you hate me?! I **KILLED** Naruto! it was my fault!_

Then, "Sakura," He says. His voice is quiet, full of emotion. She stops, opens her eyes and she can only see his eyes. The other parts of his face are shrouded in darkness. His eyes glow red in the darkness- and oh, _oh_. Her eyes widen. She unclenches her hands, drops her face into his chest closing the gaping distance between them. And his arm on her back curls around her waist in instinct as Sasuke drops his forehead on her shoulder.

His other arm slack against his side.

—

Sasuke hated his mangekyo sharingan. Only activated it in desperate times, when they were— (_always they, because the three of them were a team. Family. Everything._)— in danger, backed into a corner only when it was most necessarily.

_The only time he activated it when it was outside of a battle that she knows are two times-_

_When he was eight, and his family died- was_ killed.

_When he was twelve and his brother- Itachi_ died.

He is eighteen now, and this is his third time.

And_ Naruto is dead._

—

Sakura could feel something wet soak into her shoulder. There's an emptiness in her heart she can't explain, the taste of burnt grey ashes vivid in her mouth.

She curls deeper into his chest. And gives in.

—

Sasuke could feel something wet soak into his clothes.

He wraps his arm tighter around her, closer to her warmth. And givens in.


	3. Chapter 3

The air is stale with the heavy scent of smoke. Despite his covered nose, Kakashi could smell vividly, the stench of smoke– nauseating. And very sour.

"Don't you know smoking like that will kill you someday, " He remarks. And he doesn't think he's talking about smoking.

The black ashes of the cigarette rush out into the morning sky, polluting fresh air. Covering the blue bright sky with patches of black and grey.

And there's a dull ache in his heart.

"Well, Asuma-sensei didn't die like this did he?" Shikamura says.

Kakashi doesn't say anything- they both knew the answer.

Instead, he focuses his eyes on the sky. It's morning. They should be here. But- they aren't.

The ache in his heart grows.

"How troublesome.." Shikamaru beside him mumbles under his breath. "They are late,"

They both stare at the sky as the smokes of the cigarette, clouds of the black and grey rise and pollute the air.

The air is stale with the stench of cigarettes.

The silence stretches between them as they stand to wait in front of the gate.

They are three hours late. It's been a week since he assigned them the mission. It should have been easy, a simple B rank mission nothing they couldn't handle.

But, nothing was ever simple and easy with those three.. was it? Fate always seemed to hate team seven.

[. . . He knew this the best]

Then he can see shadows in the distance. And he relaxes in relief, the ache less in his heart—but, then. He realises they are only two shadows. The pulse of only two chakras.

There were always three of them— now, they are two.

And Kakashi can hear a shatter as only Sasuke and Sakura come into view with blank faces. Hollowed eyes.

It's like the bridge mission again.

And His eye aches.

Beside him, Shikamaru lets the cigarette fall — the bud end falling like ashes. Like the ashes, he can taste in the mouth. Nauseating and very sour- bitter. Hollow.

—

Sakura and Sasuke walk towards the village with a team member less.

With one team member dead.

And suddenly, the bright blue sky hurts to look at. But, Kakashi can't look away. Can't face away from the bright blue backdrop that highlights his former students' silhouettes as they walk closer.

_Naruto is dead._

He looks away.

Instead, Kakashi faces Shikamaru who is standing still at his side.

"Do you have another cigarette?" He asks.

"Didn't you say smoking can kill you?" Shikamaru says as his eyes meet his. And somehow he doesn't think, he's talking about smoking at all.

Even so, Shikamaru still hands him a cigarette.

And Kakashi lights it up. It burns bright orange and yellow and he smokes through his mask.

The stench of the cigarette vivid in the air as they wait.

_Nauseating. Very sour and bitter._

—

And Sasuke and Sakura finally step into the village with one team member less.

With one team member dead.

—

The silence is echoing loud between the four of them and-

_Because you killed her... Rin!_

_Don't you know what's he is called..? Killer Friend Kakashi._

_Kakashi-sensei... He's dead. I.. Where were you?_

_Kakashi... Didn't you hear? She's dead. Tsunade's gone._  
_Jiraiya ended her._

_Why Why Why Why Why WHY? HOW COULD YOU!? KAKASHI I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!_

\- and his eye aches with the ringing sound of the dead.

—

Kakashi breathes in the black smoke that fogs his lungs.

The stench of the cigarette vivid in the air.

Nauseating. Very sour and bitter.


End file.
